True Romance of the Three Kingdoms
by Zhou-Mak
Summary: Rated for Safety. This is a tale of Sun Shang Xaing and her search for love...for now. Pairings are Zhou Yu Sun Shang Xiang Jiang Wei. You'll get it.
1. CH 1 Love Blossoms

AN: Disclaimer: I own none of the immensely popular Dynasty Warriors characters. These and the next few chapters I am submitting are re-written and revised and all-around better versions of my previous chapters. ENJOY!! I COMMAND YOU!!! Thanks for reading.

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTER ONE: LOVE BLOSSOMS

A young woman has her hand on the knob of an unusually large door. Her fingers are small, dainty and delicate. Her arm is slender and of fair complexion. There is a very curvaceous and feminine body attached. Her dull red hair is cut short, so that long locks would not interfere with her fighting. Her brown eyes stare straight ahead of her. She wears a sleeveless shirt so as to show off her arms. She also wears mid-length tight white pants to show off her legs. She takes some deep time to think.

She finally realizes that the one for her is Zhou Yu, his intricate plans in the War Council, his prowess in battle, his presence itself, they all intrigue her. She watched him in conflict today, no other matches his combination of might and strategy on the battlefield, he crushed a legion of Wei troops by his lonesome. Sun Shang Xiang remembers it vividly.

_Twelve men, even a challenge for Bofu, my brother, and Gongjin masterfully cut them down. He moved in such a hurry that even seeing his blade was a struggle for me. He slew one with a dart he gathered from inside his sleeve, it changed into a fireball as soon as it left his hand. Then he began his cutting, right, left, up. Then, out of nowhere, he leapt into the sky twirling his body, his sword aflame. He slew two on his first pass, one on his next, and set three aflame on the third. Those recently lit just flew away; perhaps they were spared a death by his blade, only to suffer one of fire. The last five tried to run, in no mood for a chase, Zhou Yu pulled out his bow and let off five arrows in quick succession, each one hitting its target squarely in the back, severing the spinal column. He turns only to find that even more men have arrived to try to slay him. Unable to compose myself, I hurl myself to my love to assist him._

Only the happiness of fighting alongside her husband (hopefully!) filled her head. Reinforcements arrived shortly after and the massive Wei kingdom forces were pushed back, and defeated.

Today Sun Shang Xiang is going to talk to him and see how he feels, after dinner she heads to his room, where we caught up with her.

She opens the door, and peers at the image before her.

Two men are at a desk. The man she fought with, Zhou Yu stands above his desk, which is covered with papers, maps, drawings, and even some stories. She gazes upon him and for the first time, she truly _sees_ him. His rich, luxuriant brown hair is constantly hanging over his face, his hand moves up to push it back every time. She barely notices his jade green eyes darting around the room. His headband is gone, which may be why the hair gets in his face. His full lips are moving at an impossibly fast pace, but (she is certain) with precision and perfection. She has never seen the body under the clothing, but she has her own ideas. He wears a white, thick, baggy shirt and red baggy pants. All covered by a traditional torso and hip armor, all tied by a vibrant blue sash around his waist.

His student, Lu Xun, is sitting; his trademark hat has been discarded so his short, light brown hair has been let out. _It's kind of cute,_ thought Sun Shang Xiang. His hazel eyes also dart around the scattered maps. His attire is similar to that of Zhou Yu, weather purposely or unconsciously, she doesn't know.

Sun Shang Xiang hears them both and concludes that Zhou Yu is lecturing Lu Xun,

"Anyways Meng Te seems a constant fool for fire, it defeated him at Bo Wan Po and at Chi Bi, now I'm not sure if Liu Bei… Aw, Lady Sun what brings you to my quarters?" In his calm, commanding voice the words floated across the air. She got excited just listening to him talk. She paused to savor the feeling.

"Lady Sun?"

"Oh, sorry," her face turned beat red, "I just wanted to talk to you…alone."

"Lu Xun, we will finish this discussion tomorrow."

"Yes sir." _I wonder what Sun Shang Xiang wants to talk about, if she wants to talk at all. _Lu Xun gave a little smirk as he collected the scrolls he and Gongjin had out.

"What is on your mind Lady Sun?"

This was it, the question, she hoped for a yes. It would liberate her; to be married to the warrior she loved the most. "Do you believe in love, Zhou Yu?"

"Love," he seemed offended, by it; almost appalled, "let me tell you of love. A warrior does not need love; his only concern is for his lord's safety and victory. With someone to sap his attention, no warrior can assist his lord fully.

"Remember Lu Bu, his "love," This especially seemed to pain her, he said 'love' with the same venom that he used when he spoke of his rival 'Zhuge Liang.' It was excruciating torment to hear him so denounce what she held sacred. "Drove a wedge between him and his master, Lu Bu ended up killing the one who took him in. Love has no place in a warrior's life. It is more poison them anything else," by the end of this rant, he had lost his composure and his calm.

Sun Shang Xiang shuddered; the object of her love not only just crushed her hopes for a future, but also completely destroyed her from the inside.

Now, calm and collected he asked, "do you understand what I'm talking about Lady Sun?"

Her only answer was a crystal tear running down her cheek. She turned and ran, not bothering to notice that Lu Xun had fallen on his rear after she opened the door so hard, her tears fell freely. When she got to her room; Da Qiao arrived shortly afterwards to comfort her. Sun Shang Xiang wept into Da Qiao's shoulder,

"Now, now, there, there," softly spoke Da, "Lu Xun told me everything. Zhou Yu has been like that since my sister was killed by Cao Cao's order. He is still grieving, let him be and he'll soften up."

"No, no, he won't, her death has made him callous, you didn't hear how he spoke of love. To him it's a sickness and a sin and he won't have it. I cannot find love with him, he won't let me."

"There are many like him."

"No other can replace him. NO OTHER!"

"Time heals all wounds," replied Da.

Remembering a childhood response to that proverb Sun Shang Xiang shakily replied, "But it's a lousy beautician." The two beautiful ladies shared a little laugh, Da left, after she had gone, Sun Shang Xiang cried loud, hard and deep. A mortal wound had been delivered to her and she feared she could never recover. After she slept for the longest time, a messenger came to wake her.

"Message for Lady Sun."

"Report." She could barely croak out the words, her restless sleep was only a temporary release from the pain of the conversation the previous night.

"War with the kingdom of Shu is to occur in four days, the Council is here and you are late."

"Who sent you?" she asked, knowing full well whom it was.

"Zhou Yu, he also inquires of your person. Are you alright?"

"Yes, but tell Zhou Yu I cannot make it to the Council."

"It shall be done," The messenger knew it was a lie, but decided not to tell Zhou Yu the truth, it would only unsettle him more than the coming battle. After all, Zhou Yu must plan; he can't take time off to worry about the Tiger's cub.


	2. CH 2 Battle with an Alluring Enemy

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTER TWO: BATTLE WITH AN ALLURING ENEMY

In the four days between that night and the fight with Shu, Lady Sun has done nothing but sharpen her chakrams and her skills. She has dueled many officers in Wu and lost only to Lu Meng and Lu Xun. Regardless of her failure, Sun Shang Xiang seems very capable of fighting in the battle actively, rather than guard her father like she used to. She is quite excited to battle, because only in fighting can she forget about her broken heart. Each night would find her crying herself to sleep. It was truly sorrowful.

On the fourth day the preparations were being hastily completed. The ambushes in precise locations, the troops were practicing maliciously, as though only war could make them function. Sun Shang Xiang wished that she could be one of them, a faceless nobody, an emotionless machine made only to fight. Oh, she relished in the simplicity of their lives, fight, feast, fight again, feast again, and then die. They didn't have to worry about love unless they survived the war.

"Lady Sun, to battle," cried her father, obviously still expressing concern, "even though our lord strategist says you can fight, I wish for you to take the high ground so you may see the battle better, in order to learn."

"As you wish father." _I knew that you would find a way for me not to be in the fray._

_So this is true battle_. Thought Sun Shang Xiang as she overlooked the furious conflict below. Men died everywhere, so many that the forest was painted red. She was on a cliff that surrounded three sides of the forest, so she may as well as had a crow's eye view. She could recognize many of the Shu commanders as they fought. Zhang Fei, so hard to miss, had an enemy soldier on his 18ft spear now. _I called our troops enemies. _A man with a cloth wrapped around his left shoulder, and a piece of shoulder armor on his right, was stabbing with fervor and malice at the red-dressed apes all around. That was Zhao Yun. _Apes. _A great giant of a man, Guan Yu stood. He wore one piece of armor, a shoulder plate. The rest of his body is covered in a deep green robe. He swung his mighty weapon the Blue Dragon, which was now a shade of red, and was cutting down Wu soldiers with inhuman speed. _God of War is indeed an appropriate title. Now I'm admiring them._ She was surprised at her comments, even if they were in her head.

Now, this was not a one-sided affair, The heavily armored force, Taishi Ci was knocking Shu soldiers back with ease, almost as if they were weeds that needed pulling. The drunken pirate, Gan Ning was running with his sword, out in his odd style, and splitting the troops so fast that they could not be replaced quick enough. Her own brother, Sun Ce was giving himself quite the workout; his tonfas were pounding green goons into pudding. Zhou Yu was merely standing on the cliff, waiting until the time to start his plans. "He couldn't be down there with the rest of our troops risking his life. No, he gets a comfy spot on the cliff, waiting to wave his fan. What a-"

"What were you going to say?" asked Da Qiao.

"Never mind."

"I thought you loved him?"

"Not since I truly saw him, he is just another mindless slave to Wu's ambition, not worth my time."

"Have a look there."

"Why?"

"I see a young warrior who is stunning." Sun Shang Xiang looked in the direction indicated by Da's waving hand.

"That's Bofu."

"Yes." Da says, dreamily.

"That's your husband. He is supposed to be ravishing to you," Sun Shang Xiang says, at the end of her patience.

"So."

"He's my BROTHER!!! I can't say that about him!"

"Just saying."

"Gah!! Just leave."

So Da left, and Sun Shang Xiang looked the other way, when she saw a warrior that was indeed stunning.

His battle garb was stained red, but he looked excited. A long brown ponytail of hair hung from the back of his head. His attire was that of a wealthy peasant. The only item on his body that could be called armor was a matching pair of dragonhead gauntlets on his arms.

While red-clad men charged at him, he skillfully mastered his pole weapon; one hit, two. Then he led the enemy solider into an infinite series of hits that had much spear twirling. After taking care of those four, he was again caught in the middle of more red men. "This will never end, will it?" He says, with a maniacal glee. He hits one of the peons four times, then into the sky. He follows the Wu soldier up, and then smashes the grunt down. Then he rode his weapon to the ground, creating a massive shockwave.

More troops came upon him, "Good grief, I don't need this now," He seems truly tired, and doesn't want to waste time. He spins his lethal blade five times and shoots out a vertical beam of light. It cleaved one man in two and took the arm off another. The last three scampered off. "None shall escape me." He let loose a great lightning bolt from his arm.

Only Lady Sun knew what really happened, he pulled a dart from under his sleeve. Upon its leaving his hand, it became a bolt of lightning. _No Way! Only Zhou Yu can do that! _She started to think harder about how the two men fought. _You know what, this guy can even fight like him. Albeit with a spea… wait._ As the mystery man raised his weapon, three tines sparkled in the sunlight, miraculously, it had no blood, but that detail slipped her mind.

_Can that be Shu's fighting strategist, Jiang Wei? _Sun Shang Xiang felt tingly all over, as though a draft chilled her. _Can my love be misguided? _She hoped, _I thought he even fought like Gongjin, and maybe, just maybe. My love can make mistakes, right,_ it seemed that the only person she was comforting was herself,_ it's only part of me and I'm human so maybe Love can make mistakes. Like pairing me with the wrong man. Oh! I should just find out._

After the battle Sun Shang Xiang spoke to her father. "Dad, I have a question for you."

"You can ask me anything, daughter."

"If I fell in love with a man you would support me all the way, right?"

"Of course, what made you think I wouldn't?"

Ignoring his question, she pressed on. "Even if I had to leave to see him?"

"As long as you can keep talking to me," The Tiger of Jiang Dong knew where this was headed, so he steeled himself against her secret weapon.

"Dad, can I leave Wu's ranks?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot let you. I would gladly give you the moon and stars, however, I cannot let you leave the army of Wu." She was crying at this. He finally caved, "I'll tell you what, after the battle is over, I'll let you leave the army, alright."

"Thank you Dad," her tears dried instantly.

"I also wish to see the man who captured your heart."

"It shall be done."

"I shall see you in the morning." _Damn it all, I can't stand against that crying. Just like her mother. I can't believe I caved in to the demands. I guess I'm just a gullible old sap._

_Well, no matter, she has been interested in Zhou Yu for the last few days, avoiding him so no one will find out. I'll talk to him in the morning._

Later, the next morning, in the room wherein resides the formerly mentioned strategist; Zhou Yu once again, is caught giving Lu Xun a lecture.

"Zhou Yu, I must speak with you…now," said the omnipresent King of Wu.

"I'll just get going then. Tommo--" started Lu Xun

"No, I should speak to both of you. Have either of you talked to my daughter in the past few days?"

"Yes my lord, I spoke to her just before the battle with Shu. We talked for awhile; then she left."

"But, Great Teacher, she left the room crying."

"I am asking because she left the camp just last night," said Sun Jian.


	3. CH 3 Love and War

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTER THREE: LOVE AND WAR

A young person in green armor is heading through a deep wood. She stumbles on a high root and falls to her face. Before she picks herself up and starts to flee again, she begins to doubt herself.

Sun Shang Xiang is having an argument in her head, the italics are her other voice.

I can't believe I just ran out like that, on my father! What has he done so cruelly that I decided to leave? Did I really just leave to find some man on the other side of a battle? No, I didn't, I went to find love. The kind of love Fu Xi had for Nu Wa, the love that exists only in fairy tales and fables.

Besides, it's not as though I left the best stuff, either. Zhou Yu, you callous bastard! How can a person live after they are given the gift of another's heart and then snub it?

_In all honesty, you didn't ask him if he loved you. A person can hate love and still feel it._

Shut up! The answer would still be the same; anyway, I truly love this man.

_Really, if after only a few moments of study you love someone; how can Gongjin be the fool?_

Why do you torment me? I seek only the love that all people need.

_But not all people need it. Some of us live perfectly happy lives without a human to slather affection on._

What manner of demon are you? Is your only purpose to destroy me?

_Not at all, I only serve as reason in a troubled mind. If your quest is so noble, why do you leave in the thick of night and in the armor of a man?_

My father would not let me go even if we ended the war. Besides, if I were to show him the man I love, he would have him killed immediately, and I must go undercover.

_Morning is coming; I wonder what will happen to us, since we are in the middle of the battleground. I also wonder, what is your father doing? Is he asking all the officers about where they saw you going? What does Zhou Yu feel?_

I care not a damned thing for Zhou Yu.

_Then why did he appear in our thoughts?_

In the Wu encampment

"Zhou Yu, you fool!! How could you do such a thing? You are lucky Lu Xun isn't quite your caliber in the war room or there would be an execution tonight!"

"Sir in all respect, Lady Sun never asked…Oh who am I kidding? Zhou Yu, you screwed up, big time," spoke Lu Xun in a feeble attempt to restore the position of his teacher.

"Well then, the only answer is to look for her after battle, I am truly sorry my lord, I know that no amount of forgiveness can cleanse me of this horrid sin. So in some penance, I shall lead the search party myself."

"I am quelled for the time being, but be forewarned, if she is not found, you will pay the price."

Zhou Yu gulps, "Understood sir." _But I would feel compelled to find her myself. I cannot see you unhappy. I don't know why, but I also don't want to lose my brilliant head either._

"In fact, after the council, you will search for her," commented Sun Jian with a clever grin gracing his face.

"Even in the thick of battle, Lord Sun Jian?" Zhou Yu simply exuded fear from each pore of his body.

Sun Jian, his face stern, his mind unforgiving, replied, "Yes, even in the midst of battle," his voice lost every tone, not joy, not sadness, not even anger. But his voice was the lesser frightening of his countenance, what scared Zhou Yu was his eyes. Yes, his eyes, which seemed devoid of life, compassion, even rational thought. Zhou Yu thought that he had best leave before things got ugly.

Just inside the Shu camp, a man sat in a white robe. His white pumpkin-shaped hat lying next to him, his jet black hair and beard flowing and his elegant hands holding his cup; Zhuge Liang thought, over his cup of tea, _Today will be interesting, very interesting._

Just outside the Shu camp, Sun Shang Xiang thought, _this is it._ Then, a mass of soldiers leaving camp nearly trampled her. After surviving the onslaught, she wandered inside the camp of the enemy; she marveled at the formation, it was masterfully done. Protected at the rear and the sides, it opened at the only discernable exit to the forest, so any soldiers that decided to leave would be caught. She ran into an officer, of whom only she had heard legends, Ma Chao. A sliver shine had glanced the light back at her eyes and temporarily blinded her. His helmet was open-faced with a dragon at the back and it looked as though the dragon would eat his head. The rest of his armor covered his chest and arms like scales. They also had claw-like extensions at the shoulders, hips, and calves. His voice was rather high, and cut through the air like a sharp knife.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you fighting those Wu dogs? The council will deal with you."

He lifted her by the nape of her neck, like a mother cat lifting her kittens, and carried her to what she assumed was the council building. Once inside she was forced by Ma Chao into a bowing position and then was instructed to look up.

The first image she saw was that of Liu Bei, the King of Shu, he sat in a makeshift throne, he wore a regular set of armor with green and gold. He also had on cream-colored pants, his crown was most interesting, for it was a rather plain crown whose only true adornment was a relatively large jewel set in the center.

To his right sat Zhuge Liang, and at Liu Bei's left was Pang Tong. At Zhuge's right was her new project, Jiang Wei. She smiled slightly, and then got smacked on the back of the head by Ma Chao's heavily armored hand.

She barely held onto consciousness. All she heard was "What unit does she belong to?" she could not discern any voice, but assumed it was Liu Bei. "Mine." She also could not tell where this voice came from, but had a feeling that, if her luck was going to remain the same as it had been, it wasn't going to be Jiang Wei. She then succumbed to the blackness.


	4. CH 4 The Test

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTER FOUR: THE TEST

As Sun Shang Xiang woke up she heard a voice, it was a very odd voice, like the speaker giggled between every word.

"I knew you were a woman when I saw you. You have too much figure; you don't fill your armor quite right. You know that women cannot participate in battle, so how did you get that armor?"

Sun Shang Xiang stared blankly ahead; in front of her was a short, hunched over man who was quite unattractive, not ugly, just not pretty. She also wondered at the clothing he wore; it was very odd, kind of like the man inside. He wore what looked like a conic hat with a very wide, thick brim. Off the brim were hanging tassels. He had a scarf to cover his mouth. His green, mottled robe had very wide sleeves, almost to the ground.

"Does my appearance upset you? If it doesn't, it would be a first. So, what is your name?"

She felt compelled to answer his question, but must not. She had to keep her name a closely guarded secret. If she did not, she could very well not get to see the sunrise. She had to see Jiang Wei before that, if she didn't, she would go insane.

"Sorry didn't hear that. Do you have a name?"

Her mind drew a blank, she knew she needed a false name, but didn't think she needed one so soon.

"A little shy are we? …I can see that you are scared of me. How about we play a game for questions?"

"If I refuse…?"

"I can always call the guards—if I didn't think you worthy of my trust, I would have called them already," he gave her a slightly evil grin and pushed up his eyebrows, she was stuck and he knew it.

She was trapped, she had to hope it was a game she was good at, "What do you have in mind?""I was thinking Go, by the way I'm Pang Tong."

"I would love to," _I played Go since I was seven, I can even beat Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu… _She started to tear at the thought of his name; she shook it off, " I call white."

"First, this game has some special rules, each time we battle, the person with the most territory gets to ask a question."

"Fine," Sun Shang Xiang made a move, "beat that."

And the game went on, her avoiding battles, him trying to start them. After a short skirmish at the upper right of the board, his stones were more numerous. "So I guess the first question is mine. How old are you?"

Timidly, Sun Shang Xiang replied, "Twenty."

"I believe you," Pang Tong had an innate gift to tell if someone is lying to him, "So, shall we go on?"

A nod of her head and the game picked up with rapid speed, she now tried to incite battles so she could ask him some questions of her own.

More little battles came up, soon Pang Tong could not keep up with them, and she was good. _Maybe this was a mistake. Oooh!_ He found a crushing move and won three battles at once.

"So, do you want to tell me your name?"

Sun Shang Xiang only shook her head no.

"Alright, how about Zhi Ning? It means, 'Little Warrior' in my native village."

Lady Sun thought, s_peak in a weird language; that will throw him off._ "Joseki-Osho."

"I know you speak Chinese, you already talked to me. If you play a trick like that again, I will call the guards. Understand?"

"Yes." She thought (quite sarcastically), _Boy that worked wonders. He's confused real bad. _"Now the third question, Wha—."

"You already asked three questions. 'Do you want to tell me your name, How about Zhi Ning,' and 'Understand."

"So you're a smart one, eh. Young people think they're so smart, just once I want to shove my aged wisdom in their face." A thought suddenly occurred to him. _I could use her for that._

Throughout the course of this game, many battles were fought, and many questions asked. Near the end of the game, the two were talking like they were old friends. Just before the end, someone neared the entrance to the tent.

"Pang Tong, this is Jiang Wei. Is the boy alright?"

Sun Shang Xiang looked worried, she feared her secret might not be a secret too much longer, would Pang Tong betray their trust?

"He's just fine. We're playing Go. He is quite the accomplished player."

Jiang Wei took this in his stride, and then asked an interesting question. "But can he fight?"

"I guess we'll find out," said Pang Tong as he winked at her. He whispered, "You can handle a sword, right?" She shook her head yes. After that he asked a rather stinging question, "Can you also hold on to your emotions?"

She finally realized what he was doing. He was testing her; Go had been the start of it, now other things. Maybe he would make her bunk with the other soldiers. She shivered.

"Well, I'm waiting," spoke Jiang Wei, obviously irritated.

She summoned her manliest voice (which still sounded a little too high), "I'm on my way, just hold on."

As soon as Sun Shang Xiang stepped outside of the tent, she tripped over the end of Boyue's trident and fell on her face.

"You're new, so you get a little leeway. But, next time, you will be eating more than dirt. Here we don't mouth off to superior officers." Jiang Wei stepped away, setting his trident at the ready. The new grunt came out with some sharp, circular weapons. "What are those? Put them away and get a sword."

"These are my best blades, I shall show you their power," she said this with a little zing because she felt insulted at how he hurt her. She threw one at him and nearly took his head off. Her feelings of endearment were forgotten with the punishment and with his insult of her weapons.

They fought, and much clanging was heard, his trident clashed with her chakrams time and again. The feral sides of the combatants were coming out. She tried to slash him into a massive combo; then would try to launch him into the air, and keep him aloft until he said uncle. Boyue planned to shove the newbie away and use his cutting light beam and magical darts to wear the new guy out.

Since one combatant was trying to get close, and the other to get far away, very little progress was made. After almost an hour of swinging blades at one another, they called it a truce.

"You can fight very well with your choice of blades. Perhaps I'll try next time," then Jiang Wei left. Her first response was, _I know I did better than that._ Then she thought, if_ he can move like that on his feet, I wonder how…_

"I know what you're thinking and stop it. If you give yourself away, I can't save you from them." She thought, _Pang Tong always knows how to ruin a good time… Wait a minute; he heard what I thought. HE'S TELEPATHIC!!!_

"Yes, I am. I knew most of who you were when you came in. That was a good strategy in the fight, by the way. He was trying to shoot you with projectiles and you were trying to put him into the sky. A good bout. I see that you can fight, both on the board and in the field, but I hope you can cook."

"What was that?" She nearly collapsed into the fire from surprise.

"Well, you didn't think you would get next to Jiang Wei without some hard work did you?"

Sun Shang Xiang didn't know what to think, she was in the middle of a camp with some old man. She was confused and now, a cook.

"In this army, one must work to get ahead. You won't be in battle, I'll see to that. You also won't frolic with the common solider either, unless I make you. You will be sleeping in my tent. In one year, I will tell everyone about your secret. If by then the army values your position, then so be it. If you reveal it or are found out, I cannot save you, and if the army doesn't want to keep you, then I can't stop them. Do you understand?"

"I guess."

Pang Tong further said, "We'll need to give you a background, Little Warrior."

"I suppose so. You know, my father was in a position of power so I know very little of humility."

"That's alright, I'll teach you. Starting with the game in progress. My move, right?"

Go is an ancient Oriental game, in which the basic objective is to gain more territory than your opponent, which is done by placing black and white stone on a 19x19 grid. It is also an excellent way to test knowledge of battle strategies and general use in an army.


	5. CH 5 Your Heart's Desire

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTER FIVE: YOUR HEART'S DESIRE

WARNING: THIS SECTION OF THE STORY IS RATED R. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE IT, THEN SKIP DOWN TO THE NOTICE. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS AND MAKING YOUR OWN DECISION.

Sun Shang was awakened by the sense of an intruder; he crept across the room. She knew it wasn't Pang Tong; he always asked to come in. She looked outside, and she guessed it to be around midnight.

The specter silently floated across the room and paused next to her bed. Some moonlight hit his body. He was built very well, obviously training, she could not tell who it was by the body alone. He didn't say anything. She thought it was Jiang Wei. She was confused, but she knew one thing, he was exciting something in her. She sat up instantly and sat at the edge of the bed, trying to see the mystery man better.

He said nothing, and it made her heart speed up. She clasped her hand to her chest, very close to her heart. The emotionless man-thing didn't move and was deep in thought. _He doesn't move, is he not alive?_ Sun Shang had her doubts, and then he placed his hand over hers and spoke. "I have come for you, and I wish to have you. Will you let me?"

His voice was almost familiar; it could be Boyue. She got a partial look at his face; he was Boyue and her heart skipped a beat.

_She had now been in the camp for three months and spied on Boyue every time she could. Watching the battles and even when he cleans the temple, there is little she doesn't know and asks Pang Tong about what she doesn't. She craved his secrets. She figures he should know hers._

"Take me, I am yours." She felt his hand caress her body, and felt his lips seek hers. They kissed; she felt his tongue try to enter her mouth and she let it in. She was in undeniable ecstasy. Electricity flowed through her entire body. He cupped her breast, and her nipple hardened instantly, she let out a moan of pleasure that went through the kiss. He parted from her face and lifted her night clothing up over her head. Then, took her nipple in his mouth, getting it both harder and more sensitive.

After what felt like pure bliss, he slipped his hands down her ribs, over her belly, and into her damp folds; he moved them out and in, slowly at first, then picking up speed until it felt like she was taking flight. She felt close to climax and yet felt it selfish, but she could not bring herself to tell him to stop. Without her noticing, he moved his lips inches from her folds. Her clitoris was standing up and he took it into his mouth. Immediately, she felt a wave of pleasure flow over her body, again and again. He began anew and she climaxed a second time.

!!NOTICE!!

"Three months, Zhi Ning, I can't believe that in three months that you haven't at least become a better chief!" She woke up. She looked around; she wasn't in her bedroom with Boyue by her side. Instead, Pang Tong was shaking her awake. She almost burned her eyes in the campfire.

"If this keeps up, then I'll just smuggle you out of here before morning." Pang Tong was off on another rant and her dream had almost faded away; she could only remember that it was with Boyue and it was a great feeling. "…young lady if you have another dream like that, I swear I'm going to…"

She wasn't listening and didn't care. He sounded way too much like her father. "…if anyone finds out about this, then there will be serious repercussions! No one has seen you, have they?"

"No. Do you think me so lewd?" This was not entirely true. She had "accidentally" tried to clue Boyue in by generally being womanlier in speech and action when they were alone. (Which was often, as she was always watching him.) He hadn't come to talk to her, and it was proper. Jiang Wei always spoke to Zhuge Liang on all matters and this was no exception.

But aside from that discretion, Sun Shang Xiang had learned a lot in her time at the Shu camp. She learned the most about humility, respect and about hard work. She almost enjoyed the toil to increase her rank; it made her feel better about where she was in the ladder.

Always being "Princess of Wu" tainted her every failure and accomplishment. Here, all she earned was from skill, even her feminine side knew she was better at some things than the men. Also, after a defeat at home, poor sportsmen would attribute the loss to "taking it easy on her" because she was Sun Jian's daughter.

She had talked to Pang Tong and set up a schedule within a week as to her daily activities. She insisted on training for three hours everyday, and Pang Tong could not get her to change that. She trained by herself and slowly began moving up the ranks. Pang Tong's plan was for her to fight the most brutal Shu generals; she only wanted to be worthy of such duels.

"Zhi Ning, I can feel that some massive crucible is on its way, and that you are going to be in trouble," commented Pang Tong, one day, in an offhanded manner.

Zhou Yu has some problems of his own.

_I cannot believe that Sun Shang Xiang has been gone for three months, but I mustn't give up hope, I'll see her again one day. _This was quite different from the Zhou Yu who was more concerned with losing his head than seeing Sun Shang Xiang again.

_I must see her, I need to apologize to her, and I need her to forgive me._ On the first day of trying to find her, Zhou Yu thought of her as only a stupid girl, as days went by, he thought of how he treated her, that sort of thinking made him think about more what she was than who.

Somehow, she went from brat to young woman. She was a woman, and he hadn't treated her like one. Going over each conversation in his head, he realized that she thought differently than he did. He finally found that he maybe had crushed her by saying what he said. The more that he thought about her, the less he thought about his plans. Eventually, even Lu Xun, his student, could start finding flaws in them. But the feelings of Zhou Yu were rather minor compared to those of her father.

Sun Jian is having an argument in his head, as always the italics hold the other side of the arguments.

I brought her up as a warrior; she should be a warrior first and foremost.

_Are you forgetting that she is also a woman, and thinks about things differently?_

That shouldn't matter, I have raised three boys (Zhou Yu being one of them,) and they are quite capable warriors.

_But, they are boys. Girls are harder to mold and to teach._

But that doesn't excuse her from leaving the camp.

_It also doesn't excuse you from neglecting her._

What do you mean?

_She was ready for battle, even before Gongjin said that she was. You knew that. Still, you had her stay out of the fray. Only during those times did you treat her like a woman. If you would treat her like a warrior, instead of like a woman, and vise versa, then perhaps she would still be here._

She didn't leave because of me! (In desperation,) She left because of what Gongjin said.

_But she listened to Zhou Yu several days before she left. Or did that slip your mind too?_

Back to story.

"Sun Jian, I would like to hold an audience with you," Zhou Yu said this behind Sun Jian's heavy door; he had been avoiding the Wu leader for almost all the time that he has been searching, "It has been four months, and there is still no sign."

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU WANT TO CALL OFF THE SEARCH FOR MY DAUGHTER? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, ZHOU YU? IF YOU ARE, THEN--"

"Not at all, my liege, I merely request more supplies. And I'd like to step into your chambers to discuss the matter."

Now quite sated, Sun Jian stated, "You may come in."

As Zhou Yu took his seat, Sun Jian recollected what he had been thinking just before his lord strategist came in, and unloaded his stress on him, "Why did you think it proper to send my daughter off crying? Did you forget that she was a woman?"

Zhou Yu had thought that this was going to be a discussion between him and Sun Jian about his needs for more supplies, not Sun Jian verbally roasting him. In his absolute bewilderment, he was totally speechless, and Sun Jian took the silence as a no.

"IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN YOUR BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO BE CERTAIN THAT I DON'T SEE YOU UNTIL SHE IS BACK IN CAMP!"

In a timid, scared voice that was unbecoming him, Zhou Yu only said, "Yes, sir." He walked out of the room, very shaky and nearly broken. He barely got to the practice field without losing his composure. He found that the field was empty, so he pulled out a practice dummy. He started to work up a sweat to mix with his tears. They fell like his blows and his curses, freely and often.

Instead of Da Qiao, Lu Xun came to comfort Zhou Yu once he had quieted again.

"Lord, I have come to bring troubling news," Lu Xun could barely remember what Lu Meng had instructed him to say. "Great Teacher, Zhuge Liang and the Shu forces are at our west border, if they attack all is lost. What are your orders?"

"Let them come, I am no longer welcome here. Let Zhuge Liang kill me and end my misery!"

Lu Xun was caught completely off-guard, upon lying about the Shu attack, he expected Gongjin to al least ask for a map. Infuriated, Lu Xun nearly struck his mentor in his seething hatred. His teacher, whom had taught him everything, was now welcoming his rival's appearance and was constantly distracted by a pesky girl. This was against everything he had learned. But Lu Xun remembered one of Zhou Yu's previous lectures, "Sometimes not everything is planned, inspiration and intuition also play major roles in the War Room." Now, Lu Xun had a plan.

"Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang has Sun Shang Xiang and is planning on using her to get in camp. We need you to--"

"You know where Sunny is?! What proof do you have? I demand to know how you found out? Did you learn just moments ago? If you learned before this, then I'll--"

"Teacher, I do not know. I do know that you won't know unless we defeat Shu in battle, so you need to buck up in the War Room. No one should find any flaws."

"Don't worry about that, Sun Jian doesn't want to see me until his daughter is back in camp. I can't even go into Council," then in a fashion similar to that of his student, Zhou Yu's inspiration came bubbling forth. "You can give the Council my ideas. That would work, then you'll never find a flaw and if one is found, I won't be given away. Please, Lu Xun, this is one fight we need to win."

Feeling joy at this new honor, Lu Xun said, "As long as Sun Shang Xiang is out there, I can be your vassel." Then Lu Xun left with a huge grin on his face, and odd thoughts in his head, _Gongjin trusts me to tell his plans. That is the greatest honor._ Then, in a fashion unnatural to him, Lu Xun thought, _did he call her a pet name? Perhaps there is more to this than I thought._


	6. CH 6 The Crucible

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS  
CHAPTERSIX: THE CRUCIBLE

Back in Shu, Zhi Ning is the central part of a tournament in the camp. Shu is showcasing its officers and Zhi Ning has been nominated to "help."

"I don't believe this," said Ma Chao, still donning the regular dragon armor, "I remember when we were up for this and we had to fight each other to prove our worth.."

"Yeah," commented an old man. He was in his sixties, but by the way he acted and moved, you would never know. His white beard went down to the top of his chest. He wore a well-worn pair of khaki pants and golden armor around his body. He also had on a similar colored helmet; this one was open faced can covered with intricate designs. Huang Zhong finished his statement, "I want to know who orchestrated this and wrap my fingers around his neck."

"They're only a rag-tag bunch, what does it matter?" said Zhao Yun. This officer, who was dressed in a set of half-torso armor, the rest of his chest was covered in a fine, light cloth that he tucked into his light green loose pants. In his usual humor the 'Little Dragon' finished his reasoning. "I'd rather not spar some trained solider anyway, a cook's apprentice can't fight, so there's no danger."

A great bulk of a man spoke up. He had on a simple cap and was wearing a common robe. This robe was worn with one sleeve off, so that the yin-yang on the back was lopsided. His hairy, black beard and mustache were small and he had the look of a continual drunkard (maybe because of the sake bottle on his hip.) He wore a thick rope as a belt and his massive eighteen-foot weapon was always around. This was no exception. "Huang Zhong and Ma Chao have a point. No cook's subordinate should have the honor of sparing with officers" these words came from the mouth of Zhang Fei.

"You...got…that," grunted Wei Yan. Wei Yan was an anomaly of a man. He had very little armor on, even during battle. The little he did wear was usually spiked or studded. The spikes would mess with his outline and make him appear quite unnatural. He also wore a very interesting mask. It was a half-face mask and had multiple colors so it looked like a clown face from a circus. There were decorations extending above it so that it looked like a clown with horns. His weapon was called a voluge. It was basically a short, curved sword set in a long hilt, with a matching blade coming out the other side. The appearance in battle was that of a demon marching to collect souls.

In, fact the one who nominated Zhi Ning to fight was sitting next to Liu Bei pondering whether or not he really wanted to do it. It was the only time Zhuge Liang questioned his decision. _Jiang Wei is distracted lately and I sense that she is the cause. Pang Tong is keeping her to himself. He told me the basics._

"_Kongming! What are you doing here?" asked Pang Tong._

"_I could ask the same thing, and why do you have a suit of armor with you?" replied Zhuge_

"_I guess you won't just trust what I'm doing and let me go then."_

"_**Pang Tong, where's the armor", asked a feminine voice.**_

"_Pang Tong why is a young woman in your tent?"_

"_Oh shit. Zhi Ning, would you get in the tent and shut up? For all our sakes."_

"_**Okay fine", said Zhi Ning.**_

"_Pang Tong this better be good."_

"_I'm sick of all the officers saying I'm only here because you asked Liu Bei. I will prove my worth by fooling the entire camp. The person you heard earlier was a young woman. No one knows that she is a woman. I will succeed in tricking the camp and Liu Bei will recognize my talent. I only ask that you not reveal my secret. Can I trust you for this, Kongming?"_

"_You have my word. In truth, I want to see you succeed."_

Zhuge Liang remembered that day quite well. It was almost four months ago. Winter has come and the fighting is in a lull. Shu decided to have its newest officers show their stuff. Zhuge, however, keeps thinking, as though he is trying to justify his action.

_She is quite the seductress, trying to steal away Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei has been , in essence, my son since his parents died. If she can run this gauntlet, then she can have Jiang Wei. I will condone it._

Zhi Ning is having quite the tough time, she thinks Jiang Wei hates her, she has been stuck in an odd ceremony, and this put her into— a very bad mood.

_Oh great, here I am. I get to "spar" against the new Shu officers so the bigwigs can have a look at the new guys in battle. I'm not going to just stand here and get hit, if one of them tries to smack me. I'm going to send him into orbit, _thought the ever-charming Sun Shang Xiang. She obviously didn't like this. _I didn't think that a cook's apprentice would be heralded as a sparring partner for the new officers. I doubt that Pang Tong asked for this. He usually tells me first. I wonder who set this up._

She looks around; nine men (the new officers) are standing there, three with common weapons, six with interesting ones. Luckily, Zhi Ning has fought against seven of them.

NAME—TUTOR—WEAPON

ONBAY SAIKA—ZHANG FEI—HOOKSWORDS

ONBAY KADO—GUAN YU—KUNAI

SHIN KA—ZHAO YUN—SCYTHE

META SAITO—MA CHAO—WARHAMMER

KAISETA—YUE YING—TWO-HANDED AXE

DU KEN—WEI YAN—METAL ARMS

LIU CHAN—LIU BEI—BROADSWORD

QUIANG DU—HUANG ZHONG—PIKE

ZHON KAN—ZHUGE LIANG—LONG STAFF

A large, raised, wooden box, served as the ring. Several wooden benches surrounded it. A large throne stands on the northern side. The officers of Shu sat in a circle around the ring, Liu Bei in a throne with Zhang Fei at his right, and Guan Yu at his left. The other officers sat around the ring. Sun Shang Xiang was fourth in the line of "sparring partners." The first new officer stood up, and moved from one side of the ring towards the center.

"State your name, teacher, and weapon," asked Chi Nan, the announcer, "then turn and select your opponent." "Opponent" was probably a little bit of an overstatement. All the choices were small, thin, "men" who only had swords with which to defend themselves.

"I am Liu Chan. My father, the king of Shu, Liu Bei, taught me. My weapon of choice is the broadsword. My opponent shall be you!" He pointed to a small man two spaces to Sun Shang Xiang's left.

"I accept your challenge, Liu Chan," replied the small man as he rose and bowed deeply to Liu Chan.

Both men moved to the center of the ring, Liu Chan with his slightly curved broadsword held rather tightly at his right side. Sweat was pouring down his brow. _At least I'm first, I don't have to outdo anyone else, then again, I get to make the first impression on the officers. Remember what your dad taught you, bob and weave, strike like a snake, when they are weakening, hit like a pouncing tiger. Don't do anything flashy; just stick to the basics and you'll be fine. This guy is just some book carrier. He can't do any real damage._

Chang Yu, his opponent, however, was also worried sick. _Oh, of all my cursed luck, _I_ have to fight our lord's son. He's going to be some kind of godly fighter who's going to kill me for fun. I just won't strike; I'll let him kill me. I'm not doing anything important and it'll be over in a second._

As the battle began, Liu Chan was waiting for his opponent to make a move, and Chang Yu was waiting to get hit. Eventually, Liu Chan just went for it and cleaved straight down aiming to split his opponent's head.

Even if you are looking for death, it's hard to give up life and so Chang Yu stepped to his left and started to stab Liu Chan's side. Liu Chan had been given extensive lessons on how to avoid similar maneuvers and merely sidestepped, and in the same fluid motion, hit his opponent's blade out of the way and started a slice to the neck.

After ducking, his opponent cut Liu Chan's toes. Liu Chan let loose a scream of pain and kicked Chang Yu in the face.

He clutched his face, which now stung with pain and was slick with blood from his nose. Liu Chan was preparing to kill him now. He stood up and through his tears saw Liu Chan coming towards him, with nothing but a giant grin on his face and in his eyes.

Sun Shang was horrified, she knew that this could be brutal, but not this bad. She shouted, "Step to your right, it will be harder for Liu Chan to hit there!"

Chang Yu heard this in the nick of time, and was able to plan his next move. Liu Chan started a chop similar to the one that started the match, and after sidestepping to the left of the powerful cleave, Chang Yu stabbed.

Liu Chan couldn't stop the attack, the little freak that yelled out was right; it was hard to stop attacks on his left. Liu Chan wailed at the red-hot pain that seared his side. His blood flowed freely but, luckily, the wound was shallow. With his last conscious motion, Liu Chan swung his sword around and caught his partner in the arm, cleaving it off. Then Liu Chan promptly fainted.

By this time, the unconscious Liu Chan was put on a silk sheet carried by four men and hauled off to the infirmary, his opponent was less lucky and had to walk with someone to get there.

Then, Zhi Ning's thought process took over. _So that's what this is all about, don't show up the officers. Well, I have a few things to say about that—Oh, wait a minute. I just showed up Liu Bei's son. Shit._

Liu Bei was virtually red with anger and embarrassment. "Well, it appears that we have an expert in the crowd. Step up." She did, and knew that something very bad was going to happen to her. "We shall see if you can fight as well as you can talk. Next!"

A man dressed in a white wrapped shirt and turban, stood up and bowed, saying, "I am Quiang Du, taught by the great master Huang Zhong. I have selected a pike to slay my foes." As he lifted himself from his knee he looked menacingly at Zhi Ning. His cold, blue eyes were looking daggers at her from across the ring. His large weapon was setting at his side, ready for a killing blow.

"Now you," said Liu Bei, expecting Sun Shang Xiang to tell her story.

"I am Zhi Ning, my strategies were taught to me by Pang Tong, I never had a teacher for fighting. I will use a sword_."_

"Circumstances in battle change at a moment's notice. Without warning or favor. So I, as is my right, shall alter the circumstances of the tourney. I say that this is your tournament, Zhi Ning. If you win, an officer may take you as an understudy. You will fight the next four matches, without rest. If you manage to beat them all, then as I said one officer will likely take you in and teach you how to fight." _I cannot wait to see you fail. You humiliate my son and in so doing, you make me seem a fool. This will put you in your place. And if it does not, then I will have a very talented officer under my command. Either my honor will be restored, or my army will be benefited. I cannot lose._ "Begin the match!!!"

Quiang Du, taught in psychological as well as physical warfare started to assault his foe's mind, "So, Zhi Ning, how long have you been untrained? Do you mouth off to your superiors often? Is your defense always this open?!" He was referring to the way she stood after asking his first two questions.

She was caught so off guard by the venomous way he asked, and, in trying to defend her honor, she forgot to defend herself. Quiang Du's lengthy weapon cut through the air. If her reflexes were not so keen, she would have been wounded much deeper than she was. A shallow cut soon formed on her stomach, outlined in the red of her blood.

Her eyes seemed aflame with hatred. She charged, sword held high, ready to cause some serious damage. Suddenly she stopped, she was a good ten feet away and felt a pain on her cheek. She moved her hand there and examined it on the return; there was blood upon it. She looked at her foe and saw that he had knocked another arrow.

"I'll fire it. Can you dodge this one?"

_Great, this guy is all about range. If I get too close he'll smack me with his wicked crescent pike_. She looked at her stomach, the blood was clotting now, but another hit would send ever more flowing. She also thought about her cheek and how it stung. _Neither of those seems very comfortable. If I focus on dodging the pole weapon, he'll send a cloud of arrows my way. I can't get close because of the pike, and I can't stay away because of the arrows. I wonder…_

_He can't possibly win, if he gets close. I strike him. If he retreats for some distance, I shoot him. Liu Bei will shower me with praise for restoring his dignity and Huang Zhong will rise in the ranks. I can bring good things to both my masters. What a glorious day for Quiang Du._

Quiang Du let loose four arrows in quick succession. Zhi Ning sidestepped the first two, swung her sword at the next and leapt over the last constantly advancing. Now with his adversary only six feet away Quiang Du shot a fifth arrow, aimed at the heart of his new, fearless foe.

Almost as though she was inhuman, Zhi Ning held her sword out pointing at her opponent. The arrow seemed to slow down before it struck the point of her sword. Quiang Du reached for another arrow, but before he could ready it, Zhi Ning closed most of the distance and halved his bow.

Quiang Du rolled away as fast as he could, creating space, almost another ten feet. Then he stood, weapon at the ready. Zhi Ning merely walked closer, shortening the distance. Nine feet, eight, seven, six, five… Quiang Du clamped his eyes shut and tried to sweep his weapon through his foe, but it stopped halfway.

He looked, and was glassy eyed. With a simple gesture, she stopped his blow and was now only one foot from him. She turned her blade over and brought the hilt of her sword straight up into his chin. For Quiang Du, the lights went out and he fell to the floor of the ring.

"Well done Zhi Ning, you have fought exceedingly well, any trainer would be proud. Pang Tong should be beaming. Nonetheless, your next challenge is waiting," commented Liu Bei, with a great smirk painted on his face, "unless you want to take a nap and rest awhile."

"If it pleases your lordship, I will continue to fight," replied Zhi Ning, who really had no option.

"It pleases me greatly. Next combatant, rise and be heard."

A tall, burly, hairy man stood up. This one was obviously older than the first man she fought. His eyes were only black. Thick stubble covered his chin and neck. He showed no mark of respect towards his opponent. His towering frame overshadowed Zhi Ning from across the ring. Then his deep rumbling voice, like an imminent storm, called out to everyone. "I am Du Ken. Wei Yan has trained me. I shall annihilate my foes with my metal arms."

"Tell us about your arms," commanded Liu Bei, for he was indeed curious. Only now did Zhi Ning notice that his arms were glinting with light. They were covered with iron, and seemed very heavy.

"In my barbarian tribe, when a boy reaches the Age of Passage, his arms are covered in heavy metal rings. Two years after, he is given gauntlets. Then in two more years he is given a weapon constructed into the arms and sent out into the world. I have had ten years since my time of Passing."

"And what weapon did you have set into your arms?" asked Liu Bei, now genuinely interested.

"A set of claws."

"Let the battle begin."

"You said your name is Zhi Ning, correct?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"So I know what to put on your tombstone."

He lunged at her. She put her sword up to slash him. Du Ken simply grabbed the blade and ripped it from her grasp. Du Ken uttered a feral sound and started to wrestle with her. She realized, as a secondary thought. _If he removes my armor, I'm in deep shit_. She found a way out and ran away to look for her weapon. Du Ken was lumbering after her on all fours, like an animal. _Is this how he trained? Wei Yan is supposed to be an excellent grappler. Did he wrestle with this guy?_ She ran for her sword. It was close to the edge by Zhuge Liang. As she ran she heard the sound of metal ripping wood. _He's tearing the ring apart. I have never seen someone so primal_.

She barely made it to the weapon and raised it in time to stop Du Ken's hand from mauling her face. She heard a sound like a sword coming out of its scabbard. A deep pain raced up her leg. She pushed her primitive enemy off her body and noticed that her leg was clawed. She looked back at Du Ken. She saw his right hand had claws on it. They dripped with her blood. She heard the unsheathing sound again. His left hand also had the claws. Du Ken seemed to change completely. He now slouched over and swayed.

_Zhi Ning has no idea of what I can do. I will tear him to shreds. _"Are you ready for this!" yelled Du Ken as he charged.

Du Ken seemed to slide in and out of reality and moving incredibly fast. He crossed the twenty-foot ring in no time at all. He was standing right behind her. "I can be either a powerful, savage beast or a cold, calculating demon."

"You are still only one man and can only be in one place," said Zhi Ning as she stabbed her sword at the opponent behind her.

"That doesn't mean I'll be where you think," said Du Ken to her face. He backhanded her across the ring.

_What did Zhou Yu say about his darts? Oh yeah, I remember now. The smooth silky voice of her once beloved floated into her mind to speak to her again. "Sun Shang Xiang, my 'darts' are actually only mental. My mental power is sharp enough to make my illusions real to my opponents and they think that the fire I throw is burning them. It's not. But they think that and their _mind_ burns them."__ Thank you Zhou Yu._

She summoned the last reserves of her strength and pointed her sword at her opponent.

"I have no arrows to deflect. And I can dodge a sword that doesn't move. You are dead," yelled Du Ken as he charged.

"I think not!" yelled Zhi Ning as a bright white light erupted from her sword. _A dart. I have him now. He can't-_

Du Ken grabbed the magic dart out of thin air and crushed it. "Petty tricks will not work on me. Only force can stop the forceful." Du Ken's massive body slammed into that of Zhi Ning. She tumbled for nearly fifteen feet. Her body lay on the floor, severely battered and racked with pain.

The amount of will it took to lift her body off the smooth wood was immense. She stood, "Come get some more, Tin man." "_Success is one part inspiration—nine parts desperation."_ Yet another time Zhou Yu saved her life.

"You bastard, you can only stand, you are in no condition to fight, much less issue commands. I will enjoy tearing off your head!" Du Ken charged at her. _Wait, his body is mantled in fire. _

_Only a little further. Come on, I've been saving this since Quiang Du and I fought. _She stood, her sword at her side. She gathered all the energy around her and channeled her rage and pain into it. The fires at the corner of the ring flared up from little candle-lanterns to full blown bonfires. Everyone, Du Ken included, looked at the now empowered flames.

Only Jiang Wei still had his eyes fixated on the cook's apprentice, who until just recently didn't have a chance in the world. As he looked at Zhi Ning, he felt an odd tug towards him. He saw him assume the charging position, and was further intrigued. Only trained soldiers could channel this chakra, and even then, they barely could control it. This warrior was not a cook's apprentice, not even a low rank solider. This one had a secret, and Jiang Wei was now very eager to uncover it.

As Du Ken stood, pondering what do, Zhi Ning received a mental message from Pang Tong. _DON'T!! A MUSOU WILL GIVE YOU AWAY!! DON'T DO IT!!_

_Great, what now?_

Du Ken was moving close and he began to shove his clawed hand forward. Zhi Ning knocked his arm away and stopped the attack. Zhi Ning slashed several more times, then cut upwards. Du Ken felt his feet leave the ground and he only floated in the air. Zhi Ning cut him more while he could not defend himself, all the while keeping him above the ground. Finally, Zhi Ning spun with the sword and used the momentum to smack Du Ken across and out of the ring.

Du Ken landed on his back and lost his breath. Once he got it back the only thing out of his mouth was, "I may surrender now, but you will see me again."

"Well done, Zhi Ning. Perhaps an officer will take you under their wing regardless. Nonetheless, your next challenge will truly test your mettle. Unless our tireless warrior feels weakened." Once again, that same, smug smile crossed his lips.

"I only ask for my wounds to be bandaged."

"That is a request I can oblige," replied Liu Bei.

After Zhi Ning returned to the ring, she saw that the many destroyed boards were replaced.

"Ah, excellent, our main attraction has arrived. Zhon Kan, rise!" commanded Liu Bei.

Then stood a truly magnificent warrior. His body was in excellent condition and he wore only a baggy pair of dark blue-green pants and a gold ribbon around his neck and down his shoulders. On the ribbon was writing, it said, "Have a friend at your back, steel in your hands, and magic in your veins."

"I am Zhon Kan. Zhuge Liang taught me my magic. I use a long staff." He stood up and walked to the center of the ring. His weapon was far more than a "long staff." It was green with a red ribbon twirling around the sides all the way down. The top of the staff had a jewel set into it, an orb of crystal, and it was clear as a pool of water. Zhi Ning thought it odd, also, that his eyes had a similar look to them.

"Begin the match!"

"Your curiosity is apparent, even from across the ring. You were admiring my weapon, yes?" asked Zhon Kan

"It's not like any staff I have seen," replied Zhi Ning as she climbed into the hastily repaired wooden platform.

"No, it's not."

"Are you going to tell me what makes it so special?"

"No."

They lined up on opposite sides of the ring and bowed. It was nearly comical, a very clean, proper young man and a torn-up, bandaged cook bowing to each other. Zhon Kan shot a 'dart' at Zhi Ning. This dart was blue and moved at a very fast speed.

_That is just what Zhou Yu fired, but his is fire. Jiang Wei's is lightning. What is this? Well its better to be told than to experience it._

"What was that?" asked Zhi Ning as she used her sword to slash it out of the way.

"Its an arrow of power. Jiang Wei uses lightning and Master Zhuge uses death. I have chosen the blasting power. You fired an arrow during the previous match. It just didn't have a special effect. You have some skills that could be refined. To bad that I will kill you before you can reach your potential."

He ran at her, staff raised and ready to beat her down. She raised her sword in her own defense. His staff moved through her sword and struck her. _What the! His staff moved right through my sword! Is that the power of his magic?_

"I guess you figured out what my 'special power' really is. My strikes cannot be stopped. And my magic is just as potent." He unleashed a ring of power around himself. Luckily, Zhi Ning was standing just outside of the range and only felt of slight pang of what would have been crippling pain.

She charged at him, sword down and at her side, she planned to cut him into the air like she did to the last opponent. She succeeded and he was floating, she was very cocky and launched him higher. That was a mistake. Zhon Kan flipped back into the air and threw his staff at the ground, causing an explosion. Zhi Ning was thrown back and startled so badly that Zhon Kan had time to retrieve his staff and come back to smack her around some more.

"Force is useless when the one you would use it against is so far beyond. You have dishonored our lord, two of our most powerful generals, and yourself. Your death is the only thing that will restore them. I will be merciful. I will kill you quickly so your suffering will not be so intense. HAH!!!"

He raised his staff well above his head and brought it down with such immense force that, when Zhi Ning rolled to her right, the ring was left with a deep crater.

"I have so much to do. I can't die here or by your hands." _Remember, your magic is weak, so I need to be very careful. Zhou Yu always said, 'The more you strike your opponent, the more powerful your spells. If you can strike them enough times, even Gan Ning can use powerful magic.'_

She moved very close to her opponent and danced, while doing so she struck him…several times. She finished with a spin that unleashed a new power. A light blade that would cleave him in half, if he hadn't have blocked it.

"Well, that was very good, now see if you can stop this!" He launched his own cutting blade.

_I can't block, so I'll duck_. Right under the lethal light she went. She then set off another light blade. _What? When could I do that that often? I won't question it, but damn, that would have been nice to know earlier._ "It doesn't matter how many you throw, I'll not be hit by any of them." Zhon Kan stood there and in the instant before it connected, he moved his staff and shot his own. In so doing, he destroyed her light blade and sent his. She ducked again and saw him send his ring of power at her.

_Well, this looks like this is it. "Perhaps not." Pang Tong? "Yes, now listen to me, if you want to live you need to remember what you did early on that wasn't a block or a dodge, but still stopped his attack." I HATE RIDDLES!! "Well you're running out of time, so you better figure it out soon."_

The power ring was now only two feet away from her and she's at the end of the rope. Sun Shang Xiang had a very inspired thought. _THAT'S IT!!_ She raised her sword. "You know you can't block it, so why try?" asked her foe, confident in his victory.

"I'm not blocking, I'm attacking!"

She brought her sword above the ring and sent her blade crashing down. The metal blade clashed with the mental one and destroyed it.

"Well you found it out, but that doesn't mean that I'm defeated yet, I can strike you with my staff and you can't block it."

"Zhon Kan, stand down," commanded an ominous voice from the crowd.

"But Master."

"I said, 'stand down and be silent.' Now do it," demanded Zhuge Liang. Then, in a side whisper, "I am saving you the humiliation of being beaten by her, she would use a skill you wouldn't have a chance in the world to prevent."

"I will do it, but that does not mean I understand it."

"My lord, I know more than any other, the limits of my student's. If Zhon Kan had fought for much longer, he would have drained himself."

"Well, even though I dislike the decision, I will support Zhuge Liang's choice. Zhi Ning is quite the capable fighter. Obviously not a single warrior can defeat him. So with his approval…" Liu Bei paused and looked at him. Zhi Ning nodded. "He now will have to deal with two opponents; as is the required standard for those who wish to be taught by an officer. Onbay brothers, enter the ring!"

A regular-sized well-built male stepped into the ring he was dressed in a set of Eastern pants. The kind that are supposed to make it look like your legs are floating. And he was also in a robe that featured a dragon crawling across his body. A second man, his brother stepped up. He was an identical body type, but rather than a muscular upper body this one had very strong legs. Sun Shang Xiang didn't know that though, because this man were covered from head to foot in a black suit. His mouth and head was covered, but his piercing green eyes were plainly visible. The man in the dragon robe spoke.

"We are the brothers Onbay. I am the elder, Onbay Kado, and this is, my brother, Onbay Saika. Zhang Fei taught me and Guan Yu taught him. I use hook swords and he uses kunai."

"Why doesn't he talk?" asked Zhi Ning.

"He is mute. And he is a ninja, one who doesn't believe in making sound."

"Enough idle banter. To the center! Let this battle commence!" shouted Liu Bei.

A crucible is a very difficult often, grueling test. Usually presented as a right of passage.


	7. CH 7 Diary of a Madman

A/N: I will resubmit the first six chapters in a reedited version. Please read and review the new chapters as they come up. Thnks, Mak

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS

CHAPTER SEVEN: DIARY OF A MADMAN

In the dark hours of the morning, a young man sits at his desk. He thought now, as he almost always did, of the young woman who left here. We look back at his room; scattered papers cover the desk he sits at, the floor where he stands, and the very bed he sleeps on. His books still on his shelves are covered in dust. His inkpot is dry and his writing has vastly improved over the scribble that most people with a lot to think about have. Half-eaten meat buns and dirty chopsticks are scattered all about.

He has finished writing a new poem, in a form taught to him by Zhou Tai, a fellow officer and admirer of Japanese culture. Zhou Yu has written a haiku, in red ink so it stands out.

His regular garb is off and a more comfortable, and far more plain, light blue robe now covers him. His beautiful, light brown hair has gone awry and has lost its previous sheen and straightness. Now it sits above his head looking as ragged as a bird's nest. His piercing green eyes seem foggy and glassed over. They also have extensive baggage from his often and lengthy vigils. He lays his head down to get some much-needed rest.

As soon as our tired strategist lays down his head, his door slams open, startling him almost to the point of falling out of his chair. He looks yonder, hoping, no, closer to expecting, Sun Shang Xiang to bound out of the doorway and comfort him with her embrace. Zhou Yu gets a better look, and is immediately and severely, disappointed.

There stood a figure of medium size and build, wearing white and red pants with a scale design covering every inch. He wore bells, like the kind one would expect on a wintertime sleigh, on his hips. His broad chest was covered in a white vest. The tattoos he had adorned himself with seemed to spill out of their designated holes within the vest to cover his arms and back. In all the years that Zhou Yu had known him, he was constantly amazed at Gan Ning's ability to find new things to draw on himself. The once spiky hair was flopped down over Gan Ning's face, making it that much harder for his glossed-over eyes to see anything. Even though he had no bottle, Zhou Yu could smell the heavy sake on his breath.

Zhou Yu thought to himself, _Good lord, I have to be losing it, if a drunk with bells can sneak up on me, I'm in trouble._

"What are you still doing in here? It's been four months; she's not coming back. Wise up, wise guy."

"Gan Ning, kindly find a place to sleep, leave, and go eat some food…not necessarily in that order."

"Hey, what is this," Gan Ning had found the poem Zhou Yu wrote most recently and then started his own drunken rendition of it. "Your hair is winter fire/ January embers/ my heart burns there too…What is this shit?"

"It's a poem, more specifically, a haiku. Now that you have satisfied whatever it is you came here to do, leave."

"You can't make me."

"Oh, but I will," replied Zhou Yu with increased intensity.

"Try it, wise guy," commented Gan Ning, saying it like he wanted to start a fight.

"I'll make you leave, all right. I'll make you leave the whole kingdom," yelled Zhou Yu.

"And when you do, I'll scrub toilets for a week," replied Gan Ning, with the same tone and volume.

Slowly and deeply, Zhou Yu retorted, with some hint of malice, "get your brush ready."

"NEVER!" yelled Gan Ning as he slammed the door with all his might and walked, or rather, staggered down the hallway.

As soon as Zhou Yu stopped hearing Gan Ning's heavy clomping boots, he thought to himself, _Thank you Gan Ning, I finally have something else I can think about._ Immediately after mentally thanking the drunken former pirate, Zhou Yu set his head down upon his paper-covered desk and slept. A far more restful slumber than the Wu strategist had had for an eternity, it seemed.

The morose winter, bleak and gray expanded endlessly from Sun Jian's window. The strong Wu king saw that the weather itself had matched the state of his thoughts. _I wonder if Sun Shang Xiang is out there_ he thought to himself.

"Where are you?" he asked, to no one in particular.

_Perhaps she is gone. _"No, don't think that." _Well, consider it, you barely escaped the rock avalanche trap. Sun Ce struggled to survive after an arrow nearly took his jaw. And Sun Quan, by great luck got away from the bridge trap. Perhaps some horrible misfortune got a hold of her._ "NEVER! She is too much like her mother. Lady Wu…" Sun Jian said this last with a tone of pain, like remembering her had hurt him physically.

A tear slowly crawled down his cheek. He remembered the promise he made to her.

But now is not the time. Zhou Tai had walked up and talked to Sun Jian some days earlier, commenting on the leader's inattentiveness. Sun Jian had no idea what Tai was talking about. The psuedo-samurai calmly explained to the Sun patriarch, that he looked blank during War Council and had no response to the matters of planning for war.

One of the strategists had even suggested surrender to see if he was listening, he wasn't. Zhou Tai suggested that Sun Jian go home, and try to get whatever troubles he had out of his head.

Sun Jian had agreed. He would make the announcement today.

Zhou Yu was barely out of the bath and had drawn for himself and had almost enough time to dry off when he heard the Crier yelling. "There is to be an announcement. All officers of Wu to the Grand Hall!"

Zhou Yu quickly threw on his formal wear and ran as fast as his feet could possibly go.

The Grand Hall was quite a sight. The ceiling stretched easily forty feet above their heads. The room itself was five hundred feet long, carefully acoustically toned so that even one at the back could hear the one speaking at the front. The hall was designed to accommodate the entire army. The problem was that not enough lumber could be secured at so remote a location from the Wu Kingdom capital, Jian Ye. The solution was to build a smaller Hall. Huge, rich, deep crimson curtains hung down from the highest rafters, each had the symbol of Wu at the top and bottom. The décor was a dull yellow and orange, so that once inside, one looked like they had walked into a giant bonfire.

It was here that Sun Jian would deliver his speech to his officers.

Sun Jian stood atop the stage, his regal cape billowing in a soft breeze. His clothing was formal, His red shoulder guards closing around his chest. The Sun family crest on the elbows and knees of his armor. His helmet was under his arm. Twas, a regular helm with a cushioned inside and a spike coming out the top with a red tuft. He walked without weapon, a very uncommon occurrence. The scene and the look of the Wu king made the entire setting surreal.

"I thank you all for coming. As you all know, my daughter left camp four months ago. Since then I have been unable to concentrate on matters of war. In my loss of focus, many men may die. I refuse to have such causalities as an exchange for my inability to intensify on the matter at hand. As such, I have decided to return home to Wu."

Though Zhou Yu appeared emotionally unchanged, he was raging in his mind, _NOOOOOOOO!!! HE CAN'T! I'll never find Sun Shang Xiang again. If that old windbag decides to leave I won't be able to find her!_ A new, deeper, more powerful voice rang in Zhou Yu's mind. **_Calm down, Zhou Yu, if you lose control, then you can't get anything done._** In a feeble attempt to maintain his panic he mentally replied, _But I'll never find her._ **_Calm down. Think._** The voice had asserted itself to him, so Zhou Yu took a deep breath and thought…hard. Then a smile graced his lips. He rarely smiled these days, but when he did, it was a great joy to all who saw him. 

_I thank you, whoever you are, you have helped me greatly._

Just as the message struck home with Zhou Yu, it hit most other officers, if somewhat differently. Some like Huang Gai simply stood there and remained stoic; others like Gan Ning—

"Well, I wonder who advised him. ZHOU YU?!" Yelled out a very hung-over Gan Ning.

Calmly replying, Zhou Yu stated, "if you had been paying attention, you would notice that I have not been near our lordship for over four months. My advice has yet to reach his ears. I will put in a word that Gan Ning, the drunken pirate still wishes to fight."

Zhou Yu looked around, the faces were familiar, and so were the people. Lu Meng, his glaive absent, still looked more like a warrior than the great mind that he was. His ponytail was let out and the hair simply hung straight over his shoulders. His deep red robe with the gold trim still around him, he looked regal. And he smiled. _He won't back me,_ thought Zhou Yu.

A look at Huang Gai, he stands, tallest of the officers around him, and eldest. His short Mohawk of hair on his bald head stands proudly. His large buckler is on, but his rod is gone. His armor has a mirror like quality to it. He appears emotionless as ever. _Maybe, maybe not._

Before Zhou Yu went to dissuade Sun Jian, he spared a glance at Zhou Tai. Truly the largest man in the kingdom, his clothing is specially tailored. The crimson pants are a little baggy for comfort purposes, but not loose enough to be caught by weeds or weapons. He wears a western chest plate, and a short cape; the plate is thick and heavy, _the barbarians sure know how to weigh themselves down_. His helmet is very odd, to say the least. The helm is close-faced, with a cross cut in so he can breathe and see. The entire helm is a silver color, except for he face plate. It is gold and has fringes coming out the side, almost like a fire. His weapon is always on his belt, and this is no different. The katana lays against his leg, that weapon has become as famous as the wielder.

Zhou Tai is talking to the newest Wu officer, Kojiro. This one is a good head shorter than the samurai. He wears a chest cover made of white tiger skin and some brown baggy pants. His hair is tied in a topknot. His weapon is not visible.

"I don't believe this!" yelled out the shorter man.

"Don't lose your head, there will be other battles."

"But how long? How long will I be an unproven? How long must I stay at the bottom?" Whined Kojiro.

"Now listen here. I wish to fight as well, but I will honor the master's wishes. As shall you."

"Fine, Zhou Tai. But I won't like it."

_Perfect,_ thought Zhou Yu. He thought that word like an evil dictator who has found the solution, and drawing it out for suspense.

After having a short walk past the pavilion, Zhou Yu heads to Sun Jian's small fort. There is a long hallway to the room and Zhou Yu's steps echo off the floor. Soon Zhou Yu hears odd voices coming down the hallway towards him.

"Who was that?" asks Zhou Yu.

There is no reply, "I suppose that my footsteps are echoing oddly. Oh, there's the door. How long have I been walking?"

Zhou Yu presses his ear against the doorway and hears the sound of a cry ending.

Sun Jian's booming voice creeps past the door and catches Zhou Yu off guard "Come in Zhou Yu."

Zhou Yu opens the door and is bewildered. "My lord,"

"Only you would talk to yourself coming down the hallway," interrupted Sun Jian, "what did you want to discuss?"

"Well, most honorable one, I do believe that if Shu finds us retreating when there is no fight, they will pursue. And worse yet, if Wei finds out, they will try to conquer. Show weakness and one will be punished."

"You have my utmost attention, Zhou Yu."

"If you leave me with several thousand troops, I will hold back Shu. We also can send some spies into both opposing kingdoms."

"Do you really think , that in your state of mind, you will manage the troops better than I?"

"…" Zhou Yu only stood, speechless.

"I thought so, Zhou Tai will stay with you. Now, who do you suggest we send?"

"I know that Gan Ning wants to spy in Wei, and we can send Kojiro to Shu."

"A new officer?" questioned Sun Jian.  
"The officers of Shu don't know him," replied Zhou Yu.

After mulling it over for awhile, Sun Jian gave in, "fine, it will be done."

"Thank you my lordship."

"Good luck. And stop talking to yourself," said Sun Jian.

Zhou Yu was out the door before Sun Jian's message crossed the room. He went to tell the officers of their tasks. Kojiro was giddy with joy at finally being able to prove himself. Gan Ning was at a loss for words, a rarity and great one at that. Zhou Tai had already heard from Kojiro and was uncertain and rather fearful for his young ally.

Zhou Yu walked into his room, cleared the massive stack of papers from his desk and took out his journal to write. He remembered that he hadn't consciously written in the log for some time, he looked on the days past. He immediately closed the book. With a look of absolute horror on his face, he crept to the practice field, dug a pit and burned the book there.

"No one shall ever learn what was written therein. For the sake of my soul, I hope I won't remember."

Later that night, Zhou Yu would be found in bed, tossing and turning. And at midnight, he let out a great and ghastly scream.


	8. CH 8 Pirate of the Plains

_ROMANCE_ OF THE THREE KINGDOMS

CHAPTER EIGHT: PIRATE OF THE PLAINS

Shu

Zhi Ning was in it, deep. The hook sword brother ran at her with all his speed, which, despite his size, was quite fast. The closer one had taken his swords and looped them around hers. He pulled and if she had not tensed her body for impact, she would have lost her sword. The brash and badly done disarm attempt allowed Zhi Ning the chance to get behind him. The smaller brother had gotten out his kunai and seemed ready to throw.

"Come on, Kado, hit him and be done with it!"

_Are these people crazy? I'm standing right behind his brother and this idiot is asking to be thrown at? I don't like this._

Onbay Kado held a kunai next to his ear and readied it to be thrown. He took a step forward and launched the projectile.

Zhi Ning moved behind Saika and saw the dagger whiz by his head.

"Oh, c'mon Kado, I didn't even feel the wind."

Zhi Ning's eyes exploded in surprise. _If he's lamenting about not feeling the wind, then I'm in trouble._

Saika took the time that she used in surprise to switch positions, and throw her over his shoulder. "Waah! That hurt!" yelled Zhi Ning, as she landed on the hardwood floor. Saika stood behind her, with his head near her ear.

"Not as much as this will." replied Onbay Saika in a tone reminiscent of her father when he was displeased. The tone scared her more than anything else.

Onbay Kado opened his vest; the inside was lined with the hand daggers. If Zhi Ning was scared at the tone, this scared her ever more.

Then the mute brother curved his ten fingers into the ten loops at the end of ten kunai, and lifted them above his head.

Zhi Ning looked at the spectacle, awed. She barely felt it when the older brother brought her wrist behind her back. Kado was about to throw, Zhi Ning tried to run, and Saika lifted her arm. With a cry, Zhi Ning crumpled to the ground.

"Now, Kado! NOW!"

The next thing she saw was ten pointed lines screaming for her head.

Jiang Wei was rather sad inside. He wanted to know more about this new solider before they had to bury him. He wanted to ask about how the new recruit could channel the force called "Musou." He wanted to ask how the solider landed on Shu's doorstep; particularly in the midst of a battle with the Coastal Kingdom, Wu.

Jiang Wei wanted to leave the ringside, he wanted to be alone, he wanted to watch no more of this bloodbath. He wanted to, but couldn't. _Why can I not be a better person? Why do I only sit here and watch this murder; rather than do something to stop it? Is this what humans are? I remember taking great joy in battle, now I feel I can only weep. Is this the kind of being I am? I remember hearing tales of oni and monsters when I was younger; perhaps the real monsters are the people. _Jiang Wei finally opened his eyes and gasped. Someone had jumped up into the ring and was saying something.

Zhi Ning forcefully closed her eyes and braced herself. She heard the daggers whistle through the air. Then instead of a deep pain all over her body, she heard a sound like a small amount of men jumping down on a sturdy hollow box.

When she found the courage to open them again, she saw a reasonably tall man. He was dressed in a dark green, full-body armor with light green trim. It was rather plain, but it surely suited its purpose. The man held a large scythe, very thick at the top, where the massive, curved blade came out. And at the top of his unique weapon, were ten kunai, all within a one-inch radius from each other.

The new, skillful man bowed, then spoke, "Your lordship, Liu Bei, I am sorry to have stopped the match before the inevitable conclusion. But I must interrupt. I feel that what I have been taught about you and your cause would make you to be unable to kill one of such talent for so small a transgression. His assistance in your army would be invaluable. As Zhao Yun taught me, I learned that your lordship is a light of virtue and justice among the tainted leaders of the land. For one so noble and moral to do such a thing would cause one to be tainted as the others who try to take the land for ambition."

Liu Bei looked dismayed at what had occurred. Not only was everything that the youth said true, but Liu Bei heard none of what was just said. The only thing he got out of it was that Liu Bei had fallen. He was determined to right what he had wronged.

"State your name," he called.

"I am Shin Ka. Zhao Yun taught me my values. My fighting was mine entirely."

"Zhao Yun has quite the talented youth under his service. In fact, all of the officers here today do. I have gotten away from the purpose of this tournament: To prove the power of those who will carry the light of Shu.

"My sorrow is great, I have taken the day away from those who would use it. I have squandered my resources on a pointless personal vendetta. And finally, I have not seen my son after he has been wounded in battle.

"Forgiveness is something to seek, not something to give, I ask for you all to forgive me for my wrongful acts today. I will make certain to finish this tournament right tomorrow. As for Zhi Ning…Before the end of this night, an officer will formally take him in for training!"

In his mind, Pang Tong had lost; in his, Jiang Wei had won.

That night, rather than trust her care in the infirmary, Pang Tong had collected Zhi Ning and brought her to his tent. He talked to her for a while, and then they walked to his tent. Across the aisle, Liu Chan laid, grinning.

Wei

Dawn was breaking at the Wei camp. A lone man traveled towards it. He had a large staff on his back. His tan pants tied at the ankle, and were secured at the waist by a long white cloth, which was tied to hang off to the side, wavering in the wind. His armor was thickly woven cloth with thin metal sewn in. It covered his chest, and swooped up at the shoulders, it left his deeply tanned, muscular arms plainly visible. Also plainly visible were the tattoos on those arms.

"_You now answer to Chienpo. Got that, Gan Ning?" asked Zhou Yu._

_"Yeah, yeah. So since my sword is better known than I am, what do I use?"_

_"I never thought you'd ask. You get to have a three-section-staff," replied Zhou Yu._

_"Sorry, I do believe that you said three-section staff, are my ears mistaken. I was trained with that weapon originally," commented Gan Ning._

_"That's right. We found out by checking in at the monastery that found you," said Zhou Yu, elaborating._

_"That's all well and good, but what about the tattoos."_

_"Nothing we can do about those. Unless you want to lose some skin."_

_"No thanks, Zhou."_

_"Finally we have your papers. Remember, you have no last name; you are from a tribe Northwest of here. Do you understand all this?" inquired Zhou Yu._

_"Yeah, I got it. Now why don't you educate the new kid?"_

_"Hope to see you soon, and make sure to have your brush ready."_

_"I told you, we never shook on it."_

_"I don't care," nonchalantly commented Zhou Yu._

" I will get back at him for this. I swear," said Gan Ning with utter conviction in his voice. The covert Wu warrior arrived at the hastily completed picket wall set up around the perimeter of the Wei camp. "Let's hope Cao Cao isn't home."

Just Gan Ning's bad luck, Zhang Liao, the head of the camp, was on patrol and happened to come around the corner at that moment.

"What are you doing here?" Gan Ning froze. The man who had stopped his last raid on the Wei camp was running down the length of the fence. "This is a camp of the Wei army. Who are you?"

With sweat pouring down his brow, Gan Ning forced himself to look at the formidable warrior in the eye. He saw that Zhang Liao's light blue armor was very well polished. It covered his shoulders, chest, back, hips, and groin. Large cloth garments covered the rest of him. His black hair was cut short, simply so it could fit in his hat. His weapon was a Kwan Dao. Basically, a short, curved sword in a five-foot hilt.

"I traveled here from my tribe to assist the great warlord Cao Cao in his conquest of the land," said Gan Ning, with a wavering uncertainty in his voice.

"What's your name?" asked Zhang Liao, with an inquisitive tone and leaning in so as to hear the answer better.

"I am Chienpo."

"Last name?"

"Don't have one."

Zhang Liao cocked one eyebrow up above the other and asked, "Where are your papers?"

Gan Ning took them out of a flap of his chest armor and presented them to Zhang Liao.

"I'll take you inside. Cao Cao is coming today, so we will use the opportunity to gauge your abilities. Until then, you can rest up. By the way, what so you wield?"

"This is a three-section staff. A very unique weapon."

"Go inside, ask Xiahou Yuan, he's chubby and has a good beard. He's probably on the archery field. You'll be sharing a tent with him. Talk awhile. Find out about each other. He's a good, if hefty man."

"Where's the archery field?"

But Zhang Liao didn't respond, he merely walked off. The door was open, and Gan Ning walked inside. He found the field easily enough. It was on the western part of the camp, surrounded by a tall wood fence. Xiahou Yuan was alone. The yard diameter target he shot at only had four arrows in it, but it must have been seventy yards away. Before noting his presence, Xiahou Yuan had launched another arrow. It struck the target dead center, shoving aside another arrow.

"Well, who is this?" his voice was gruff and rough, like the voice of a seasoned general. The kind of voice Gan Ning could admire.

"I'm Chienpo. Zhang Liao told me we would be sharing a tent and to get to know you a little better."

"Fine enough, how about we talk over some sake," suggested Yuan.

Gan Ning's eyes lit up. He hadn't had a drink since breakfast and it was already eleven. "Sure, I have no money."

"It's alright, I have plenty."

Gan Ning could already tell that this was one guy he was going to like.

Xiahou Yuan and Gan Ning were sitting at a table in the mess hall. Several other officers of Wei were also there, some drinking, some conversing, some just sitting and thinking. Xu Huang was sitting at a table across the room. His blue robe covered the ground around him. His butter cream turban was wrapped around the top of his head tightly. His huge poleaxe was nowhere around. He was sitting alone.

At the table behind theirs, Xu Zhu sat. He had a huge platter of meat buns before him. His great girth spanned the whole bench he sat at. But he was by no means merely a fat guy. His power and ability on the battlefield was able to catch entire armies off guard. His giant club, a massive solid iron ball on a three-foot long iron stick, was leaning on the table next to him.

A large, bald man sat at the table next to Xu Zhu's bench. He wore a small amount of chest armor, all studded with spikes. His left shoulder was covered with a globe shaped piece of golden armor. His lower right arm was fitted with a horse head-shaped gauntlet.

Legend has it that, when Cao Cao's horse was lame during battle, Dian Wei gave his horse to Cao Cao, and took the lame one for himself. He killed it with his bare hands, then used his axe to take off the neck and stuck his arm in the head. He was able to run away and later catch up to Cao Cao, and all because of the horse's head.

It was only a legend, but the detail in the gauntlet was such that Gan Ning wouldn't put it past him. His silver-plated hand axe with the lion's head was resting on the table next to him.

As Gan Ning was talking a to Xiahou Yuan, a small man came up to 'greet' them.

"Xiahou Yuan, what are you doing here? The new recruits need training."

"Relax, Shorty, me and the hefty man are talking here. Why don't you go and play with your wood dolls." Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, Gan Ning had known that they were the wrong ones.

"Chienpo!" yelled Xiahou Yuan.

"Imbecile!" yelled Cao Ren.

Gan Ning took a closer look at the man he had so sorely offended. True, he was short, but there was also the overall look. Gan Ning may not have known, but we would have called Cao Ren's helmet a spiked football helmet. His shoulder armor was ridiculously oversized and ludicrously long. His regular clothing was almost as bad.

Gan Ning's traitor mouth got the best of him again. "Hey, I thought the dwarfs weren't supposed to be let out until later. Whatssa matter, midget? Didn't they believe that you were old enough for a drink?"

Before Cao Ren could retort with a few well-chosen words, Cao Cao strode in. The king of Wei was absolutely masterful in his appearance. From the top of his yellow pinned on hat, to the bottom of his dark lavender pants, he exuded excellence. His armor was similar to the style that Gan Ning was wearing, except that it was purple rather than a dirty brown. His weapon, a wide, rune-incrusted broadsword, hung from it's place on his belt.

A voice of pure ambition, like someone who knows that they are better than where they are, exploded from his mouth. "Cao Ren! At least give the new arrival time to prove himself before you kill him. How about we make him fight Xiahou Dun?"

Cao Ren dared not argue with his cousin, and Dun was quite the capable fighter. "Agreed. Where is Dun?"

Cao Cao promptly replied, "At the dueling grounds. I asked him to be there."

"Let's go then!" yelled Gan Ning.

When the party of Wei officers arrived at the grounds, Xiahou Dun was already there. "Well cousin, I see you have at least brought me a challenge this time."

"This will be interesting to say the least, eh brother Dun?" commented Yuan.

Gan Ning took a long look at Xiahou Dun. Gan Ning had heard much about the fighter. And with all the legends, he figured some must be true. Some say that he fought 10,000 men and won. Some say he ate his own eye, Gan Ning noticed the cloth wrapped around his head and figured that at least the latter thought was true.

He was dressed in regular blue armor with shoulder pads, not overly long, but reasonably so. His deep blue cape easily touched the ground. His weapon drew Gan Ning's gaze for the longest time. It was as if a child had a falchion for a ten-foot man. Its width was at least that of Gan Ning's thigh. Its length from point to posterier, five feet.

Gan Ning took the staff off his back, it instantly collapsed into its chained stick self.

Cao Cao shouted, in his deep, ambitious voice, "Let the match begin, first to draw blood wins!"

Gan Ning shot a look of amazement at Cao Cao. The solitary thought going through his mind was, _Thanks, Cao, my weapon is BLUNT!_

Xiahou Dun raced at him, his sword trailing in the dirt behind him. As he closed the distance, he swung the severely oversized weapon at his foe. Gan Ning shouted, "Don't you want to know my name?"

His only reply was, "No."

"Fine then, I'll just have to make you pay attention."

After backing up from the initial swing, Gan Ning began to strike back. Only to find out that Xiahou Dun was making a back swing. Gan Ning barely managed to duck and threw the end of his weapon between Dun's legs and pulled. Dun only stumbled a little, but enough so that Gan Ning could maneuver his weapon in such a way that when Dun started to swing again, his sword flew out of his hands. It landed at Cao Cao's feet.

"Pick up your weapon. And by the way, I'm Chienpo."

Xiahou Dun only glared at Gan Ning the way a dog looks at a particularly annoying cat. After getting his blade back, Xiahou Dun started to swing it crazily around. Gan Ning was too busy dodging the flurry to worry about attacking. Xiahou Dun let one had off the sword and thrust it into Gan Ning's stomach. Gan Ning instantly doubled over and couldn't breathe for a while.

"Never, ever let your opponent stand up if you have knocked them down. That was where Hannibal screwed up. Since you spared me the fight, I will let you recover."

After a little bit of time spent gasping and wheezing, Gan Ning stood again and decided that he should take the initiative. Xiahou Dun was waiting. Ning feinted and Dun wasn't ready. Gan Ning used his weapon to help bind Dun while he reached for his boot knife. Dun was still struggling, but found that his foe's grip was tight. Ning cut across Dun's forearm, drawing blood. Then Gan Ning let go.

"Match to Chienpo!" yelled Cao Cao in an ecstatic manner, "It seems that we have some reasonable officer material after all."

"But cousin,"

"Enough blathering Cao Ren. This man is definitely officer material. Tell me, Chienpo, do you know about battle tactics?"

"Reasonably well enough."

"How about a test?" questioned Cao Cao.

"What kind of test?" questioned Cao Ren.

" A test of battle strategies, we will give Chienpo one hundred men, Xu Huang one hundred men and Zhang Liao one hundred men. Have Xu Huang and Zhang Liao work together. Do you think you can take those odds, Chienpo?"

Gan Ning replied, confidently, "I'm pretty sure."

"Good. The battle is set for tomorrow at dawn. See you all there."

Now you know why this is the romance of the THREE kingdoms. The triple threat is now in place. Get the fireworks ready. Stuff will be shooting off. BANZI!!!


End file.
